Dubspot instructor and resident beat samurai Abe Duque puts Keith McMillen’s QuNeo to the test during a recent visit to Japan and finds the multitouch controller to be a solid companion for performing live with Ableton.

Abe’s Road Test: Keith McMillen QuNeo 3D

During a recent visit to Japan, Dubspot instructor and globe-trotting performer Abe Duque got a chance to road test Keith McMillen’s QuNeo 3D controller and was impressed. The QuNeo is a USB MIDI controller that offers pressure sensitivity as well as directional control on a series of low-profile pads and sliders. We’ve had our eye on the QuNeo for some time and have been eager to see how it performs in real-life situations. Abe’s report shows a multitude of uses for controlling Ableton Live’s clips, effects, and envelope parameters in real-time. He found that while the touch-sensitive interface may take some getting used to, it also provides numerous control options that don’t exist on most other MIDI control products.

The QuNeo pad MIDI controller from Keith McMillen Instruments brings a fresh design philosophy to a market dominated by endless variations on the same common designs. While its pads appear superficially like those of an MPC or NI’s Maschine, the QuNeo also adds touch recognition in multiple dimensions. The “3D” in its name refers to the fact that its sensors can send velocity, pressure, and location information in addition to simple on/off note triggering. The drum pads can send x/y axis information, or each pad can send 4 separate note/pressure commands, one from each corner, making the 4×4 pad array into an 8×8 grid of 64 triggers. Some pads can also send direction and width information. The QuNeo’s dimensions are also identical to an iPad’s, which allows you to use it with popular iPad stands and accessories.

Free Download: Abe’s Ableton Live QuNeo Template

To get you started with the Keith McMillen QuNeo, Abe Duque has provided the Ableton Live template that he uses in the above video.